In Louisiana, acts of kindness flourish amid the misery

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Baron Leblanc, left, and George Snyder move a refrigerator out of George's flooded home in St. Amant on Thursday, August 18. More than 30,000 people have been rescued in southern Louisiana after heavy rains caused flooding. "This is a major disaster," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has said.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

A Virgin Mary statue is barely visible in front of a flooded home in St. Amant on August 18.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Flooding affects a chicken coop in Sorrento on August 17.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Kade Lewis helps gut his grandparents' home in Walker on Wednesday, August 17, after flooding.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Caskets float in floodwaters near a cemetery in Gonzales on August 17.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

A man talks on his phone while helping salvage items from a house in Denham Springs on August 17.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Gary Schexnayder stands in a flooded street in Sorrento as an early morning fog blankets the area August 17.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

David Key looks outside his flooded home in Prairieville on Tuesday, August 16.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Raymond Lieteau waits for help to move a refrigerator as his friend Melissa Lockhart helps clean up the living room in his flood-damaged home in Baton Rouge on August 16. Lieteau had more than 5 feet of water in his home.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Danny and Alys Messenger canoe away from their flooded home in Prairieville on August 16.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

A pickup truck is partially submerged in Port Vincent, Louisiana, on August 16.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Cattle are driven through a flooded road in Sorrento as they are herded to trucks on August 16.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

People sort through water-damaged products outside Jasmine's Beauty Supply in Baton Rouge on August 16.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

A man navigates a boat of rescued goats past a partially submerged car in Gonzales on August 16.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Noel Michael holds up a cell-phone photo of her flooded home in Livingston, Louisiana, on Monday, August 15.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Ann Chapman, from the Louisiana State Animal Response Team, carries a dog she helped rescue in Baton Rouge on August 15.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Eli Turnage hands out water to people waiting in line at Carter's Supermarket in Livingston on August 15.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

A boy in Baton Rouge rides his bike inside the flood-damaged Life Tabernacle Church on August 15.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Ryan Evans makes his way through Baton Rouge on August 15.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Robert Enfinger and his wife, Michelle, spend the night in a church that had been turned into an evacuation shelter in Walker.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Tracy Thornton walks to his house through a flooded neighborhood in Baton Rouge on August 15.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Floodwaters surround prefabricated houses in Denham Springs on August 15.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Evacuees spend time together at the church shelter in Walker on August 15.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

An American flag hangs in floodwaters in Walker on August 15.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Danielle Blount and her 3-month-old baby, Ember, wait to be rescued by the Louisiana Army National Guard near Walker on Sunday, August 14.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Members of the Louisiana Army National Guard help people near Walker on August 14.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Youngsville police Chief Rickey Boudreaux takes a break from helping flood victims to view the damage to his own home on August 14.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Jennifer Bernard and her dog, Shelby, travel by kayak down the flooded streets of Youngsville on August 14.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Floodwaters inundate a street in Youngsville on August 14.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

A girl takes her horse out on a dry road near Walker on August 14.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Emergency personnel rescue flood victims near Walker on August 14.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Those displaced by the flooding wait to board National Guard trucks at a Denham Springs church on August 14.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Residents evacuate Hammond, Louisiana, with food in ice chests on Saturday, August 13.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Floodwaters overwhelm businesses in Hammond on August 13.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Jeff Robinson lowers a ladder from a National Guard truck as his wife wades through floodwaters near their home in Baptist, Louisiana, on August 13.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

An aerial view of flood-damaged homes in Hammond on August 13.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Tammie Wise holds her dog, Mikey, after Jeffrey Lesage helped rescue them in Central, Louisiana, on August 13.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

A resident wades through floodwaters at apartments near Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

A firefighter brings luggage to hotel guests during an evacuation of the Fairfield Inn in Lafayette, Louisiana, on August 13.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

People ride an all-terrain vehicle through a flooded neighborhood in Carencro, Louisiana, on August 13.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

The Tangipahoa River overflows near the towns of Amite, Independence, Tickfaw and Robert on August 13.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Officials close down an exit off Interstate 55 south in Independence as floodwaters creep closer to the highway on August 13.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Jeremy and Chelsea LeMieux paddle through floodwaters in Carencro on August 13.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Rescue personnel and civilians team up to pull people from their homes along the Tangipahoa River on August 13.

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Photos:Louisiana flooding is 'major disaster,' governor says

Cattle huddle together in floodwaters near Hammond on August 13.

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A firefighter helps a resident in Baton Rouge on Friday, August 12.

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Story highlights

Volunteers use boats to rescue stranded animals

A trucker opens up his rig to share food with stranded motorists

A man pays a victim's $350 bill

(CNN)It's said that the worst of times can bring out the best in people.

We've seen it over and over whenever tragedy has struck. And we're seeing it again in Louisiana, dealing with the worst disaster in the United States since Superstorm Sandy.

Thousands have lost their homes. But thanks to the kindness of strangers, both in their community and elsewhere, they have not lost hope.

Here's how people are helping out:

They rescued helpless animals

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When floodwaters hit the animal shelter in Denham Springs, the staff was forced to open kennel doors and let dogs swim out and climb onto rooftops. Volunteers used boats to take about 35 animals -- including dog, puppies, cats and kittens -- to higher ground. Those whose homes aren't flooded then took in the animals. Others pledged more than $110,000 on a GoFundMe page to help rebuild the shelter, which was flooded to the ceiling.

They helped stranded motorists

One trucker, hauling produce out of New Orleans, was stranded for hours on an interstate. So instead of letting the produce just rot, he got the OK from his bosses to open up the back of the rig and share it with other stranded motorists, according to CDL Life, a trucking website. But that wasn't the only Good Samaritan trucker on the road: Other truck drivers let moms with young kids sit in their air-conditioned cabs to get out of the heat; another made a big batch of spaghetti and announced "it's ready!" with a blast of a truck's air horn.

They looked out for their neighbors

Denham Springs residents John Kay and Amanda Kay were on vacation in Austin, Texas, when the floods hit. Unable to go home, and unsure what condition their home was even in, the Kays started collecting supplies for other flood victims, according to CNN affiliate KSLA. Earlier this week, a tractor-trailer and van full of the supplies arrived at four shelters in Lafayette. Then on Thursday, the Kays returned to their own home -- flooded with six feet of water.

They paid for others

A man paid the $350 bill for a flood victim at a Walmart in Marksville, according to a Facebook post from Love What Matters, which chronicles everyday acts of kindness. He pulled out his credit card and paid for the flood victim's supplies -- which included basic items like toothpaste, a toothbrush, shampoo, shoes, clothes -- after she told the man she had lost everything in the floods. "And just like that, the man handed the cashier his credit card and paid for the woman's things," the post read. "She cried, his wife cried, and then I cried. It was so touching to see someone be so selfless, especially in this trying time for Louisiana! Pay it forward."

They sent in a truckload of supplies

Before he became a star player and coach in the NBA, Avery Johnson was a standout basketball player at Baton Rouge's Southern University. So, when the floods hit, he sent a semi full of supplies to the city. The truck was filled with water, soap, towels, clothes and other much-needed supplies, according to The Advocate newspaper. Athletes at Southern unloaded the truck and helped distribute items. Johnson, now the head basketball coach at Alabama, said sending the truck was "just a small showing of love and support for a community that's dear to my heart."

They knew that little things go a long way

Volunteers from a Baton Rouge hair salon handed out snow cones to people living in shelters. Studio Gabriella posted a short video on its Instagram page, saying "it's definitely the little things we can do for one another that make a big difference!"